Whether you are applying to become a foster or adoptive parent or are a relative caring for a child, you are required to attend training to become a licensed resource parent. This training is called PRIDE – Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education.

PRIDE has three major training components:

Foster PRIDE/Adopt PRIDE Pre-service Training

Foster PRIDE Core Training

Foster PRIDE Advanced and Specialized Training

Trainings are all designed to teach knowledge and skills in five essential competency categories:

Connecting children to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime; and

Working as a member of a professional team.

Integral to all three components is the belief that protecting and nurturing children at risk and strengthening all their families (birth, foster, or adoptive) requires teamwork among individuals with diverse knowledge and skills, but all working from a shared vision and toward a common goal. Foster and adoptive parents are essential members of this team. They, like caseworkers, require preparation and training to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to be effective members of the professional team.

Pre-Service

All potential Resource Families complete PRIDE Pre-Service training.

The PRIDE Pre-service is a program for recruiting, preparing, assessing and selecting prospective foster and adoptive families. The PRIDE program is designed to strengthen the quality of family foster care and adoption services by providing a standardized, consistent, structured framework for the competency-based recruitment, preparation, and selection of foster and adoptive parents. This program offers a competency-based, integrated approach to recruitment, family assessment, and pre-service training. Through a series of at-home consultations and competency-based training sessions, prospective families have an opportunity to learn and practice the knowledge and skills they will need as new foster and adoptive parents. The readiness of families to foster or adopt is assessed in the context of their ability and willingness to meet the essential competencies.